A Visa Sponsorship Job is an important and advantageous opportunity for individuals that wish to live and work abroad. If you are a Professional or aspiring to become one, a recent graduate and looking to explore visa sponsorship opportunities, understanding the details and steps involved to acquire a sponsorship job is also very crucial to succeeding in this process.
In this article, we discuss what a visa sponsorship job is explained and break it further down in details, also common questions relating to visa sponsorship job are answered.
What is a Visa Sponsorship Job?
Visa Sponsorship is a work opportunity provided by an employer (this could be a company, educational institution) to a qualified individual, this sponsorship provides a residence benefit to a particular country. In other words, once a company abroad provides the chance to an individual, it grants them the permission to work and live in the country or location where this company is situated.
It has become a very popular means of migration for a long time for professionals who are either highly skilled or less skilled. One of the major reasons why visa sponsorships exists is due to the increased economic growth and the less proportion to workforce, that means as companies and organisations experience growth in there various industry, the people who may qualified to work in this field may have been decreasing over time, therefore it opens up an opportunity for these companies to look for talent overseas.
The visa sponsorship provider serves as a kind of guarantor on the behalf of the recipient to the relevant migration authorities in the government of the particular country.
Who can sponsor a visa?
Companies
The providers of visa sponsorship jobs include the organisations/companies. As we mentioned earlier, these organisation are sometimes seeking talents that may not be available within that country due to skills shortage. Therefore, if you have the relevant skills that these companies are looking for, they would be willing to have an interview with you and when successful, they offer you the job which comes with a sponsorship benefits.
Educational Institutions
Universities and other educational related institutions can offer job visa sponsorship for a qualified individual. This opportunity are mostly for people who are academically oriented such as going for a post-study degree programs like a Phd. If you are looking for such opportunity there is a huge chance you can get it, as there are quite a huge number of open places. We do encourage people in Academia to pursue such chance.
Family and Relatives
Although, this may not be the focus on the context we provide this information, it is noteworthy to highlight that families/relatives can offer a visa sponsorship for an individual and sometimes offer them the opportunity to work under them once they arrive in the country. This opportunity can sometimes be referred to family visa sponsorship (depending on the country, they may have a different name) and it less common compared the job visa sponsorship offered by a company, not many people have that chance available to them, that is why we also try our best to provide more information relating to sponsorship benefits from a job offer.
What is involved in Visa Sponsorship Job?
There are some important steps that is involved for obtaining the visa job sponsorship but sometimes it might seem like a very complicated steps but it truly is not. We would cover generally the common questions in this area.
What are the requirements for visa sponsorship job?
It is important to also note that requirements are very different and vary for various countries as well as profession. We would categorise this according to the following:
Employer (Sponsorship provider)
- Job Offer: The organisation will need to have to a position to offer a job.
- Financial Stability: There has to be a proof from the organisation to show that they can cover the financial aspects relating to the job offer.
- Licence: In some countries, there are licenses that needs to be obtained before a company can offer such opportunity.
- Local Labor Market Assessment: This is a test to prove that the available position cannot be filled in the local labor market, hence, the reason for employing an individual from abroad. It is important to the government as they also want to promote employment of citizens before searching abroad.
Employee (Sponsorship receiver)
- Relevant Qualifications: This is mostly the first step get a visa sponsorship job means that you have the qualified skill for that position. For example, if you are a healthcare practitioner, let’s say a Registered Nurse. For this role, you need to have passed some relevant certifications and qualifications. This is applicable to any role that you may be applying for.
- Visa Application: This is the next step after receiving the job offer, these are the important documentations to get the visa. The application form for this process can be mostly found easily online.
- Health Clearance: In some cases, medical examinations are needed to ensure that you are medically sound to take the visa sponsorship job offer.
- Character Check: This can be in the form of a background check, police report e.t.c to understand the character of the individual aligns with the country and organisation’s law.
How long does the visa sponsorship process typically take?
This takes a relative time period, it differs from country to country. The average time it takes is usually between six to eighteen months. A big part as to why this process takes time is due to the government authorities in that particular country where the sponsorship organisation/body is located. The responsible government authority might be short staffed or have a huge number of request to handle, this results in longer waiting time. What we normally advice people to do is be patient and maintain a very close communication with contact person from the sponsorship organisation.
What are the benefits of visa sponsorship for both the sponsor and the sponsored individual?
Visa Sponsorship Jobs are beneficial in both parties the employer and the employee. Sometimes, it is assumed that the company that offers the sponsorship are doing the individuals a favour. In my opinion, it shouldn’t be seen that way. The company that is offering the sponsorship opportunity is looking for talented and qualified people and once you find yourself in that position, you should know the type of value you bring to the table.
Some of the benefits an employee 0ffers includes:
- Skill and Qualifications that the organisation are in shortage of
- Diversity Background
Also the benefits the visa sponsorship from the employer includes:
- Financial benefits
- Visa privilege
- Travel incentives
- Language and cultural learning opportunities.
Can visa sponsorship lead to permanent residency or citizenship?
Yes, having a visa sponsorship can lead to permanent residency. It also depends on the country that you get the visa sponsorship, it may take between 3-10 years. For example, Germany have a short time that can make you get a permanent residency which is about 3-5 years. Countries like United States and United Kingdom take quite a longer period of time before permanent residency status is achieved. If you wish to get it in a shorter time, you can also consider these factor in the location you desire to find a visa sponsorship job opportunity.
Can visa sponsorship be transferred to another employer?
Yes this can be done. However, it also depends on the country and organisation. As long as the new employer offers the sponsorship, the rights and privileges can be transferred. It is important to ask the questions during the interview process so that all parties are aware of the situation before an offer is presented or even accepted by the
Can family members be included in a sponsored visa application?
It is possible to include family members to your application. In some cases you may be allowed to bring them with you immediately or have to wait for some time to have them included. Depending on the country that you may be looking to get the visa sponsorship. The common countries and visa types that allow this opportunity includes:
- United States (H-1B Visa) and H-4 Visa for dependents.
- United Kingdom (Skilled Worker Visa)
- Canada (Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), Global Talent Stream)
- Australia (Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Visa (subclass 482))
- Germany (EU Blue Card).
- Netherlands Highly Skilled Migrant (Kennismigrant)
- New Zealand (Essential Skills Work Visa, Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa)
- Sweden (Work Permit)
- Singapore (Employment Pass (EP))
- United Arab Emirates (Employment Visa)
What are the potential challenges or drawbacks of visa sponsorship?
Although the visa sponsorship job presents an amazing opportunity to both parties, there may be sometimes disadvantages that may be tied to the job. It is important to note that if the employee violates the laws within that country or the organisation, this may lead to loss of job and residence. It is important to ensure you read the laws and abide by it. The employer has the power to rescind the sponsorship at any point in time and it may result in the individual losing the residence benefits and may have to leave the country.
Conclusions
In this article, we explained what is a visa sponsorship job and went through various questions that may commonly arise when beginning your journey to acquire such opportunity. There are various countries that provide this opportunity and it is important to know which country fits you best in terms of culture, language, economy, geographic location.
We hope you found this article helpful and wish you success in your search.
